


197 Reasons Why

by infalliblesnaps



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2016-06-21
Packaged: 2018-03-30 07:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3927511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infalliblesnaps/pseuds/infalliblesnaps
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A year later, James would claim that one hundred and ninety-seven events led up to this. Around the same time, Lily would stubbornly argue that it all began with a letter. JP/LE WIP</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

** Prologue **

We all know the differences between James Potter and Lily Evans are many. To sum it up, more than anything in the world, James Potter wanted to go on one date with Lily Evans. More than anything in the world, Lily Evans wanted James Potter to leave her alone. He feared rejection while she feared he would never give up. He was always up for a laugh and she was too, but within reason. He hoped for an exciting year but she was ready for everything to quiet down. He broke far too many rules and served quite a number of detentions. She was a Prefect and had barely served any detentions at all. He hexed people, and as a Prefect, she gave detentions to people who hexed. He was at the top of their class and she was thought to be the brightest witch of her age. He fancied one date in Hogsmeade, but she was utterly repulsed by the idea. He was arrogant and she was stubborn.

While they have their differences, they have one thing in common: their sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was anything but ordinary. Many things would happen that year; letters would be sent, things were realised, and a war beginning to brew.

A year later, James would claim that one hundred and ninety-seven events led up to this. It was amazing, he thought, that one minuscule event would lead to another, creating a domino effect, such as the first piss of the year with his three best friends.

Around the same time, Lily would stubbornly argue that it all began with a letter.

No matter who was correct, we will begin with the first event that the arrogant young man had claimed to start it all.

 

**Chapter 1**

_Communal Pissing_

The entire castle was buzzing with excitement for the new term to begin. The Gryffindor Boys' communal bathrooms, however, were unusually loud – louder than anywhere else in the entire school. There was the unmistakable yelp from a red-faced and flustered Remus Lupin, uncontrollable tittering from Peter Pettigrew, and the howling laughter coming from a mischievous Sirius Black. Of course, there was the unmistakable loud voice of one James Potter resonating throughout.

"Oh come _on,_ Moony! Just let me see yours," James guffawed, ruffling his already untidy black hair.

"No, absolutely not," the other cried out, turning the shade of his burgundy tie.

The third boy wiped tears from laughing so hard from his face. "Come on, Moony. Prongs let me see his," he teased, his grey eyes lighting up as another wave of laughter came rolling through.

"Oh, you have nothing to brag about, Padfoot," James snorted. "Mine is bigger."

Peter giggled hysterically and Remus shot the other three a look.

"Wouldn't Lily _love_ to know that piece of information," suggested the smallest of the four, Peter.

"Ha! Try every bird in this school," Sirius snorted, shaking his shaggy black hair out of his eyes.

"Oi but, that's Prongs' one true love though," Peter teased.

"Damn straight," James said in a much more serious tone, smacking Sirius upside the head.

"Honestly, you three, we've been in our dorms for five minutes. Don't make me write you up," Remus sighed, his brown hair shaking with his head. He couldn't believe that they were doing _this_ in _here._

 _"Don't make me write you up,"_ Sirius mocked. "Oi, mate, I know you're a Prefect and all, but cut us some slack, we're your mates!"

Remus rolled his brown eyes and led the other three Marauders, as they called themselves, out of the bathroom.

"Speaking of Evans," James piped up. "Did you see her at the Welcoming Feast? She looked fit. The Holiday did her well."

None of the other boys quite knew how to answer. Each had previously experienced the wrong side of agreeing with James and it turning ugly. Lily Evans was a very touchy subject for James.

"Er, yeah, she looked quite nice," Peter quietly ventured to say, a bit on the cautious side.

James stopped and looked at the Prefect, his eyes wide. "I came up with a brilliant plan. You get to work with her all the time, yeah, what with meetings and probably rounds. You two are already close anyway…"

"In a completely platonic way," the other quickly assured. "She's a good mate of mine, no matter."

"Can you help me out," asked James. "Would you mind putting in a good word for me?"

The Prefect sighed once more. "I suppose so." This year, he thought, would certainly not be like the others.

_Unkempt_

"Why is Potter's hair _always_ so untidy," Lily whispered to her best friend, Marlene McKinnon, as they were walking down the third floor corridor to Defence Against the Dark Arts. "One would think that after five years of hanging around a bloke like Remus Lupin, he'd learn to at least _comb_ it."

Marlene twirled a strand of her blonde hair, trying to form an answer. "I dunno. I've heard that it's rather nice to touch. At least, that's what Samantha Hearst claims."

"First off," corrected Lily. "Samantha Heart is the biggest slag of our year. Second of all, how the _hell_ would she know? Potter _has_ standards, surprisingly. Granted, they _are_ low ones, but –"

"What are the pair of you talking about," a new voice piped up, causing Lily and Marlene to jump. A jet black haired girl, sporting a Head Girl badge and a grin had sneaked up behind them.

"G'morning, Alice," the ginger greeted. "We were…"

 _"_ _She_ was just complaining about James Potter and the lack of effort he puts into his hair."

"It _is_ rather unkempt," the Head Girl agreed. She laughed at the thought and then looked at her watch. "The pair of you are headed to Defence a bit early, aren't you?"

"She pulled me along with her," said the blonde. "I was trying to finish my breakfast."

"What happened?"

"Potter was making a beeline for me. I highly doubt that he actually wanted something other than to ask me out. In all honesty, I just want to enjoy my first day back without having to deal with him," Lily sighed dramatically. "You would think the boy could wait a few days."

Alice shook her head and grinned once more, laughing at the dramatics of the year below her. "Well, ladies, I best be off. Frank will be looking for me."

"Oh, I nearly forgot, Alice, congratulations on Head Girl," Lily called out as she watched the girl scurry off.

"Give Frank our best," Marlene yelled.

The two girls rounded another corner until they reached their destination.

"We're here _so_ early," the blonde complained to her mate. "I know you loathe James and love to sit up front, but twenty-five minutes is just a bit ridiculous, Lily."

Lily rolled her eyes and pushed open the door, expecting an empty classroom. To their surprise, however, the classroom was not empty. Instead, one boy sat in there. He was sitting in the front seat – _her seat_ – waiting patiently. The boy turned around to her and grinned.

"Potter, would you please get your bloody arse out of that seat," asked Lily, as she made her way up to the front.

The boy ran his hands through his hair and grinned. "No, I don't think I will. I kind of like it up here," he said, standing up, but still blocking her access to the chair. James had grown even more over the summer, now towering almost a head above the fuming female glaring up at him.

"Move. _Now,"_ Lily gritted through her teeth. Her mind was racing, trying to think how Potter got there quicker that she did.

"Honestly Lily, it's just a seat. We can sit behind him," Marlene suggested. "Or you could sit beside him, if you _really_ want to be up in the front." Marlene was personally hoping that both would learn to be able to tolerate each other. Unfortunately her dream had fallen short.

"But…but…" the other girl sputtered, trying to make sense of it all. She could feel the heat in her cheeks rise, surely turning a bright shade of red.

"Alright, Evans?" the bespectacled boy asked ruffling his hair. His hazel eyes flickered down to meet her angry green ones.

"Would you stop running your fingers through your damn hair?" Lily nearly yelled, exasperated. "Honestly, your hair is messy enough without you doing that."

"All right, Evans," said James, smirking. He sat back down in the seat and purposefully ruffled his hair. He turned back to face her. "Better?"

"You are such an arrogant git." At that, she sauntered off, to another seat, still fuming, as other students started to file in.

This was not going to be a quiet year as she had hoped it to be.

_Snapping and Snogging_

Lily stormed back into the common room, the portrait swinging close swiftly behind her. Her mind was racing. She needed to go somewhere far away from here. She wasn't sorry that she embarrassed him. He deserved. Stupid, arrogant James Potter deserved every hex he had coming, what with strutting like he owns the place, hexing others, and always lying and making up excuses.

She crossed the common room and sat down in one of the big, fluffy armchairs and just tried to escape in thought. James' lanky shadow soon loomed over her.

"Go away," she said coldly.

"Get up," demanded the boy.

The red head turned around in the chair. "Can I help you?"

James was in a rare state. His hair was more unkempt, and he was furrowing his brow. His facial expression was not of the mostly permanent smirk, but that of a snarl. He was tense, his muscles showed that, and obviously, he was fuming.

"What in the bloody hell is your problem, Evans?"

Lily slowly rose, her green eyes in slits, and turned to face him. "That poor fourth year didn't deserve to be hexed by you. I thought you were a bit more mature than that, Potter."

"Would you rather I hex Severus," the boy sneered.

"I don't _care_ what you do to him. He can fend for himself. However, a fourth year cannot. And you know what; you can stop strutting around like you –"

"I do _not_ strut," James quickly defended. "You better watch out –"

Both of their faces were red from anger and were breathing heavily.

Lily took a step closer to him. "Is that a threat? Are you actually stooping to the level of threats?" She tucked her hair behind her ears, ready to fight some more.

"I cannot win with you," James cried out, exasperated. "I give up!"

"Fabulous," the girl replied. But she knew James didn't mean it. He never did.

"Prude," spat James.

"Tosser," Lily growled back.

**(Later, Boys Dormitory)**

"Did you have another fight with Evans?" the long haired boy asked as James glumly rested on his bed.

The other boy sighed, tossing his Snitch in the air and catching it. He didn't answer; he just kept tossing the little golden ball.

"I don't understand it, mate. You are completely infatuated with her and she would literally choose a giant squid over you. All you do is fight," the blonde boy known as Peter said.

"I don't either, to be honest. I don't understand it one bit. She makes me so angry and I do the same to her. My face gets all red and I let all my fury out on her and she does the same," explained the troubled roommate.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn," Remus quipped with a small smile on his face.

"That's an awful lot of shite to go through just for a bird," Peter mused, mostly to himself.

"She's not just a bird, she's the bird," sighed James once more. "I just need to get her to realise it." He returned his attention back to his Snitch.

If this were any indication as to how the rest of the year would be, he would probably not stop fighting.

**(Around the same time, Girls Dormitory)**

Marlene was laying on her bed mindlessly flipping through her Defence book when her fuming redhead of a best mate stormed in, slamming the door shut, and sinking against it. Their other roommates sent her a worried glance.

"Potter problems?" she offered as the other girls resumed gossiping. She walked over and sat next to Lily.

The redhead nodded. "He is just so arrogant. And he's cocky too! He thinks I'm some sort of prize to be won."

Before Marlene could say another word, the group of girls on the other side burst out in giggles and nearly scandalous exclamations.

"Samantha!" one girl exclaimed. "You didn't actually snog James Potter, did you?"

"Of course I did," Samantha bragged. "His hair is so soft. It was the best place to put my hands. He'd do a little groan every time I pulled on it. It was _such_ a turn on for both of us."

_Charms_

James Potter was quite lanky. He had black hair – which, like James himself– was quite unruly and unkempt. He could be considered attractive if he wasn't so arrogant and cocky. He had glasses, which were always perched crookedly on his nose. He had a nice smile, but he rarely ever showed it. It was normally hidden by a smirk. At the age of sixteen, he was already quite a skilled Quidditch player; he was named captain of the House team. Everyone knew him, and to his three closest friends – the Marauders – he was very loyal. But, he hexed people and lied.

All of these characteristics of this boy were recorded in the back of Lily's head while she was sitting in Charms, sitting next to Remus.

He had a certain air to him, James did. He was so passionate about whatever he was talking about, and at least acted like he genuinely cared about people.

At one point, he had turned around to discuss something quietly with Remus and she found herself staring at him, lost in thought.

"You know, most people consider staring to be quite rude, Evans," James said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Luckily, I'm not most people," he added with a wink.

"I have no clue what you're even on about, Potter," she sniffed.

"You know," he said leaning in so that only she could hear. "If you want to snog me, you just need to let me know. Or you can come up and just go at it. Either way is fine by me, really." He gave her one of those looks and smirked.

She rolled her eyes. "Not even in your dreams, Potter."

"I'll let you put your hands in my hair. I know you've been dying to. It's the perfect place to put them while snogging."

"So I've heard.

"And," he added, "It's a real turn on for me." He winked at her and then smirked again.

"Just turn around," Lily demanded, slightly disgusted and a bit flustered.


	2. Chapter 2

_(Nipples and Getting a Lay)_

The corridors were always relatively empty the first week back at curfew, making Lily's rounds with Remus that much easier.

They continued down the corridor in a comfortable and familiar quietness when a loud moan shattered their silence. Both Prefects froze and looked at each other. This was Lily's least favourite thing. She didn't mind breaking up fights or anything else Prefects had to do when on rounds, but this had to be the worst. She never knew what she'd find, or how clothed the suspecting couple was.

"It's your turn to bust them," Remus whispered. "I got the last couple-of-the-year."

"Fine," she whispered back. She quietly made her way over to the broom cupboard and quickly opened the door, letting light flood into the tiny space, and revealed a barely clothed, unidentified Hufflepuff and Sirius Black.

Lily stood there in horror of seeing so much of Black's lower region. She flushed a shade of crimson and quickly looked away.

"Twenty points from Hufflepuff and Gryffindor for being out after curfew and for inappropriate public displays of affection," Remus said, almost as if he were unfazed by the whole situation. "Please, get dressed and head back to your houses immediately."

"Oi," Sirius complained as the girl hastily buttoned her shirt and scurried off. "What about not busting me like this, mate?" He looked straight at Lily as he zipped up his trousers and put his belt back on and left without saying another word.

"Sorry 'bout that," Remus apologized as the pair continued their rounds.

"It's alright," Lily said quietly. Then, she started to giggle quite loudly.

"What is _so_ funny?"

"His nipples were quite garish," the ginger said in between fits of laughter.

Remus shook his head and fought back a grin at the silliness of his partner. After Lily had calmed down, he took the opportunity to keep his promise he had made to James two days earlier.

"Do you know who doesn't have garish nipples?" he asked with a straight face.

Lily looked at him, confused. "No, who?"

Biting his lip to keep from laughing, Remus replied, "James."

Lily's mouth fell to shock and a snort was elicited. "Remus, did he put you up to this? You know, you really ought to stand –" she started, now sobered up.

"No! I mean he did," Remus explained. "But he's growing up, Lily, maturing, even. I think it's for the better. At least promise me you'll think about it."

She made no such promise but snorted at the thought of a mature Potter as they made their way to the Gryffindor common room.

"Password," the Fat Lady inquired.

"Fortuna Major," Remus answered.

The portrait swung open and both Prefects climbed into the hole just in time to see Sirius' reenactment of that night's events to Peter and James.

"And then, just as the bird is starting to really enjoy it, the bloody door opens and," the shaggy haired boy trails off, seeing Lily and Remus walk in. "Ah, Evans, you're just in time. Anyway, Evans here is on the other side of that damned door with Remus beside her."

James and Peter laughed loudly as Lily turned a bright shade of red.

"She was obviously in awe of the huge size of my –"

"Sirius, we went over this. Mine is bigger," James deadpanned.

"Oh Merlin," Lily muttered, turning an even brighter shade of red. She got the hair out of her face. "It wasn't that at all, really. Your nipples were quite garish. It's quite gross."

The other three boys started laughing. "Mine are definitely not garish," James laughed.

"Oi, Evans, just because you are a prude and haven't had a decent snog doesn't mean you had to take away so many points," Sirius half-teased, with a smirk playing on his face.

"Evans, if you ever just want to get a lay," James started to offer, but the red-faced girl had already turned around and was running up the stairs towards her dormitory.

_(Facial Hair)_

As much as she loved charms, and even Professor Flitwick, one thing Lily could not stand was his mustache. It just didn't fit the professor well.

She had never particularly cared for the facial hair on most anyone.

Her father had one too. Smaller and bushier, but it's all the same to her. Once, her mother had complained to her and her sister about what it felt like when they kissed and Lily nearly puked at the thought.

Vernon, the bloke her sister, Petunia, was seeing had one too, though it looked as if a rat had died on his face. It wasn't as if it looked bad on everyone. The red-head thought that Professor Dumbledore looked rather distinguished with his.

She sat there, in History of Magic, completely distracted and unable to focus on anything except for the thought of facial hair.

James had always wondered why Lily actually paid attention in History of Magic. It was dull, mundane, monotonous. Yet, Lily always is _attentive._

However, today, she was not. Marlene was nudging her and they were quietly discussing something. He took the opportunity to scribble a quick note to the ginger.

_**Evans, how would I look with a mustache? –James** _

_Potter, first you'd have to have hit puberty to be able to grow it. –Evans_

_**Are you implying that I haven't?** _

_Based on your maturity level, yes_

_**Why are you so against mustaches?** _

**_They're repulsive._ **

Lily sent the last note back, and attempted to concentrate.

"What did Potter want?" Marlene asked.

"My opinion on facial hair. I haven't the slightest idea what he's on about," the girl sighed.

_(Because He's James Potter)_

James was never the kind of person who had reasoning behind anything. Often he used one phrase, especially around Lily and his friends.

"Come on, Evans, one date." The bespectacled, black-haired boy flashed her a charming smile.

"And why would I agree to that?" she asked, a bit huffily.

The boy couldn't stop grinning at her. He ran a hand through his ruffled hair. "Because, I'm James Potter."

"I think you need to come up with a better reason than that," the red head snorted, rolled her eyes, and walked away.

**(Later, Boys Dormitory)**

"Mate, why don't you give up?" Peter asked gently. "She's not –"

"I can't give up."

"Why not?" Remus asked.

"Because I'm James Potter," the boy answered.

The other three groaned. "Prongs, don't tell me that's the reason you gave her." Sirius pleaded.

"Why, what's wrong with it?"

"It's kind of lame," the third boy said.

"Do you have any others?" the blonde asked.

James nodded and smiled. "Only 188 others."

The other three gave a questioning look to him, but didn't bother asking. They knew well that it would all become apparent in due time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slowly editing and uploading what I have so far :)


	3. Chapter 3

_(Blushing and Biting)_

Lily Evans, at any given moment that she was not sleeping or in class, was often found in the library either tutoring, studying, or just reading.

James Potter, on the other hand, only went on occasion, and usually to check out a book and leave. He didn't like the required silence of the room, whereas he liked to talk out loud as he's writing and thinking. 

Today, however, was different. James didn't know why. He was about to leave after finding a book he needed for his potions essay on Gopalott's Third Law, when something, or rather _someone_ , caught his eye. He turned to get a better view and saw Lily working on what was probably the same thing. It wasn't just _her_ that stopped him, it was how she was concentrating and biting her bottom lip. He found the action to be very… _Lily_ -like. Naturally, he liked it.

Making his mind up, James walked over to the table where the girl was sitting and plops down in a seat across from her.

The redhead briefly glanced up to acknowledge the person. A hint of surprise filled her eyes but she said nothing of it, returning back to her work.

A few minutes had passed as James opened his book and started reading. A few more minutes passed and the boy glanced up and found her back to biting her lip and furrowing her brow, her quill scratching away.

She glanced up and noticed James staring at her. Her face flushed from the attention.

"Do you always stare at birds or am I _just_ that fortunate?" whispered the Prefect, not taking a break from writing.

"Do you always blush when all of the attention is on you?" James countered, his voice a little louder than a whisper. "It's cute."

"Potter, is there something I can help you with? I'm trying to work on this essay…" she trailed off, blushing again because the boy was _still_ staring at her.

"Do you realise that you bite your lip when you concentrate?" he asked, blatantly ignoring her question.

"Pardon?"

"You're pretty when you concentrate."

Lily put down her quill and looked up at the boy, bewildered. "Excuse me?" Her voice grew louder than she ever spoke in the library.

"It's not a bad thing. I like it. It adds to the overall effect."

"Er, thanks Potter," she muttered, blushing.

James stood, gathered his things, and practically pranced out of the library.

Lily, after watching him prance out, shook her head to in confusion and returned to her essay.

_(Fitting in the Future)_

James, since he first started asking Lily out in fourth year, had a life plan. Lily Evans happened to fit perfectly into that plan, like one's true love typically does. 

When he had first come up with the idea, he hesitated to share it with his friends – it was a bit outlandish.

Finally, in fifth year, he had shared it with them.

"Do you ever think about life after Hogwarts?" Peter wondered aloud.

It was Christmas holiday of their fifth year, and the three other boys had decided to spend a night or two at James' house.

"All of the time," Remus admitted.

"Sometimes," Sirius answered, "I just want to take things one thing at a time, you know?"

They all nodded.

James looked at the other three and chuckled. "I have a life plan."

"What?" Sirius choked out, laughing. "Share this life plan."

The first boy grinned, placed his hands behind his head, and leaned back. "First, I'm somehow going to convince Lily to go on one date with me. I think that if she sees me alone, she'll realise that we're meant to be. Second, after she falls for me and we leave Hogwarts, I'll propose to her. We'll have a small wedding and I'll join the Auror academy. Third, we'll have kids," he stated as if it were common knowledge.

"You've put a lot of thought into this, haven't you," said Peter after a moment.

"I have," the first stated proudly.

"This is all assuming that she agrees to a date," Remus reminded James.

"Mate, what if you have ginger children," Sirius asked.

James' grin disappeared for a moment and he paused in thought. "I suppose I'd love them. I'd definitely love them more if they had my hair, but Lily has great hair too, so the whole ginger thing can definitely be overlooked" he mused with a small smile.

Remus looked the most surprised out of the other three. "James," he sputtered. "How could you even say that?"

"I'm kidding," the guilty defended. "They'd be the most beautiful children other, what with her being gorgeous and my handsomeness." He grinned to himself. "Even if they _were_ ginger, I wouldn't mind because they came from her."

"You're mad, Prongs," Sirius concluded, with a small laugh and a shake of his head.

_(Pretty)_

She was in a trance again. She was in her own little world, absentmindedly doodling with her right hand and playing with her long red hair with her left. She was extremely pretty when she was lost in thought. That was, until she heard a cough that snapped her out of her daydream.

"Er, yes, Professor Sprout?" she asks hesitantly, realizing that she was just asked a question.

The professor gave the Prefect a warning look. "I asked if you could give me a description of the Snargaluff, please."

"Right, um" Lily stammered, flushing. "The stem looks similar to that of a gnarled stump, but has thorn-covered vines that attack when provoked. It's better to have more than one person handle it. It bears green pulsating pods. When broken open, the contents resemble pale green tubers."

The girl even looked pretty when caught off guard.

"Correct. Ten points to Gryffindor," the elder announced.

"Hey, Evans," Potter whispered to her, leaning over his desk so that she could hear him.

She took a great inhale before leaning back and turning her head slightly. " _What_?"

She could practically _feel_ him starting to smile.

"I've been thinking –"

"Well, that's a first," she muttered back.

"–that I don't like most redheads –"

"Oh, that's lovely," she interrupted.

"–but for some reason, I don't think that you being a ginger is all that bad."

The girl rolled her eyes. "And why is that?"

"Because you fit."

"Excuse me?" Lily whispered back hastily.

"You fit into my life plan."

The bell rang and the ginger quickly got up to leave. As she neared the door, the boy called out to her.

"Oi, Evans, don't you want to hear?"

She kept walking fast until she reached the Great Hall and found Marlene. She sat down and sighed.

"Are you okay?" questioned Marlene, a bit concerned. It had been awhile since she had seen her friend this flushed and out of breath.

"Potter…life plan…I haven't the brightest…" Lily gasped out, trying to regain some steady breath.

"What?" the blonde replied, dropping her fork on her plate.

Before she got the chance to reply, a black-haired, glasses-wearing male sat right next to her.

"Evans," he started as Lily let out an audible groan of disgust.

"Potter," she greeted curtly.

"You never let me finish what I was saying. That's quite rude, you know."

"And our perfect Prefect can't be rude, eh" Sirius dropped in.

"Anyway," the first boy continued, "I thought I would inform you of our future together."

"You're absolutely mad, Potter," the ginger said, rolling her eyes and trying to finish her meal.

"Mad for you," he countered, reaching across to grab an apple. "So the first thing is that I require just one date –"

"Forget about it, Potter."

"Okay, Lily, hear me out. I promise one date will change your view of me. I've matured." The girl rolled her eyes again. "And then we're gonna leave Hogwarts, get married, and have beautiful ginger children."

Both Lily and Marlene spit out their water when James finished speaking. "Potter, you're definitely off your rocker."

"Evans, one day, you see how great I am," James promised in a serious tone. "Just one date."

She stood up and shook her head. "Potter, maybe you should go to see Madame Pomfrey. You sound delusional right now." She turned towards the doors and walked out, trying to shake out what the boy had just told her.

_(Boobs and Potter)_

"Three… two… _one_." Sirius Black mutters to James.

James was snickering and Lily, who usually ignores them, looked up and followed his gaze.

Severus's plate exploded. He was hidden behind a cloud of white and grey smoke, and his friends are trying to clear it away to see if he's alright.

Lily gasped in horror as the victim emerged from the smoke with first-degree burns up and down his arms and a cut above his left eyebrow. As a Prefect, she jumped out of her seat and ran to him.

"Snape!"

"Severus!"

Everyone at the Slytherin table was shouting his name. He had fallen and was lying unconscious on the table. There was a huge crowd around him.

James and Sirius were still over at their table, smirking.

"Let me through! I'm a Prefect!" Lily shouted, elbowing her way through the crowd.

He groaned, opening his eyes the tiniest bit.

"Potter," he muttered.

Lily's head whipped up, and she searched the Gryffindor table for him

"Fifty points from Gryffindor," the Prefect announced, turning her attention back to Severus. He had blacked out again.

"Mudblood, we can take it from here," a Death Eater wannabe muttered.

"Just take him to Madame Pomfrey, please," the girl ordered.

Avery, Nott, and Rookwood carried him up to the hospital wing.

Lily marched off to the Gryffindor Common Room to look for James. Nearing the portrait, she gave the password and the portrait swung open.

James turned around and, upon seeing the fuming Prefect, got up from the couch and stood where she wouldn't be able to avoid him. He wanted a confrontation as well.

Her arms were crossed and she made her way over to him carefully.

"Hullo, Evans!" He greeted her. His cheerful look faltered as he took in Lily's stance and expression. "Er… are you alright?"

She tilted her head to the side, putting on a mocking smile. "Oh, yeah, I'm _fine_ ," she replied acerbically. "Just _dandy._ But you know who isn't?"

His eyes widen slightly. "N-no…" he stuttered.

"Severus. Severus is not okay. He's probably currently lying unconscious in the hospital wing. How could you do that? He could've been seriously hurt!" The ginger yelled. "He could've lost an eye! Or suffered third-degree burns from whatever you did to him!"

"Evans, I–"

"You what, Potter? You didn't mean to do it? Or maybe you had nothing to do with it at all? I know it was you! You and Sirius were behind it! I _saw_ you. You don't care what happens to the 'filthy Slytherin gits' as long as you get a good laugh?" she snarled. He backed away slowly, but she followed after him.

"Lily! I didn't—"

"Shut the hell up, Potter! Your stupid prank could've killed him!" she screeched. His back hit the wall, and she walked dangerously near him, less than a foot from his face.

"No! It wasn't supposed to happen like that!" he defended hurriedly.

"But it _did_ happen like that, Potter! It did! And to think you tried to convince me that you had changed!" She stood about a foot shorter than him, but she was up on her toes to be in his face as much as she could.

"Evans—" he tried to begin, but he couldn't finish, he was laughing.

"What the hell is so funny, Potter?"

At that, he sobered up a bit. He looked at her with a solemn expression.

"My glasses magnify your boobs."

"What?!" the girl exclaimed. "Honestly, here I am, _yelling_ at you, and all you can say is something about my chest? You have the attention span of a bloody squirrel."

"I also love it when you spit my surname," he added with a smile.

She crinkles her nose in disgust. "You're a pig." 

At that, she stormed up the stairs towards her dormitory, leaving a guilty James by himself.

It's not that he  _meant_ to say whatever popped into his mind, it was just that he was trying to alleviate that tension. Shaking his head, he curled back on the couch reading up on the next assignment for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

_(Sizes)_

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was now quieting down now that they were a couple weeks into the term. The Sixth Year Gryffindor Boys' dormitory, however, was loud – louder than anywhere else in the entire school, including the Great Hall at the Beginning of the Term Feast. There was once again, an unmistakable yelp from a red-faced Remus Lupin, not unlike the one of September 1. Peter Pettigrew, this time, was cackling. The howling laughter never left the ever-mischievous Sirius Black. James Potter had a playful smile on his face.

The room itself was quite messy from the Quidditch gear strewn all over the place, and various objects were being thrown across the room as James Potter was trying to grab a certain object.

"Oh come _on_ , Moony! Just let me see yours," James pleased, ruffling his already untidy black hair.

"No, absolutely not," the other cried out, turning the shade of a certain redhead's hair.

"At least let me _feel_ it. It's for scientific purposes," the boy claimed.

Peter giggle hysterically and Remus shot the other three a look.

"Peter, shut up, we _all_ know yours is the smallest," Sirius said.

"What are these scientific purposes?" asked Remus.

"He needs something to brag to Lily about," Sirius snorted, shaking his shagging black hair out of his eyes. "Thinks it's enough to convince her to go on one date."

"Oi, you lot are _harsh_ ," James announced.

"Honestly, you three, we've been in our dorms for _a couple weeks_. Don't make me write you up," Remus sighed, his brown hair shaking with his head. He couldn't believe that they were doing _this_ in _here again_.

" _Don't make me write you up_ ," Sirius mocked. "Oi, mate, I know you're a Prefect and all, but cut us some slack!"

Remus rolled his brown eyes and led the other three Marauders, as they called themselves, out of the bathroom.

"Speaking of Evans," James piped up. "I think she's taking a liking to me."

None of the other boys quite knew how to answer. Each had previously experienced the wrong side of agreeing with James and it turning bad. Lily Evans was still a very touchy subject for James. At first, they all thought it was a phase, until the previous year and having a "life plan".

"Er, yeah, that's what it is," Peter quietly ventured to say, a bit on the cautious side.

James stopped and looked at the Prefect, his eyes wide. "How is that brilliant plan I came up coming along?"

"Give me more time," the other quickly assured. "She's a good mate of mine, she'll eventually listen."

"Can you help me out," pleaded James. "Would you to keep trying? I think I'm really starting to get to her, in a good way."

The Prefect sighed once more. "I suppose so."

James feigned a smile. This year, he thought, had certainly not been like the others.

_(Quidditch)_

" _Hello everyone, and welcome to the final Quidditch match: Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw! I'm Dorcas Meadows, your announcer. This is supposed to be a pretty good game, both teams have worked incredibly hard and I know that…Oh! Here comes the Ravenclaws! Flying out first is Captain Matt Davies, followed by the two other Chasers Luke Fisher, and Tanner Boat. The two Beaters, Phillip Corner and Andrea Turpin, come zooming out. They're followed by Keeper Dylan Smith and Seeker Emma Chang_!"

The Ravenclaw crowd cheered them on as the Gryffindor side started chanting, "Rah! Rah! Gryffindor!"

" _The Gryffindor crowd is already excited for the final matchup! And here they come! Captain and Chaser James Potter comes out with his other two Chasers, Sam Bell and Marlene McKinnon. Beaters Sirius Black and Frank Longbottom follow them. Keeper Hestia Jones and Seeker Mason McGonagall are the last to fly out. Are you all ready for Quidditch?"_

Lily stood in between Marlene and Alice, and at first, she was quite apprehensive about coming to the match, but after the two convinced her, she had no problem cheering on her team.

"Rah! Rah! Gryffindor!"

Madame Hooch's whistle trilled.

" _And they're off! The Quaffle is taken by Potter and brought in, 360 AROUND TURPIN-GOAL! 10-0, Lions! The crowd goes wild! Fisher has possession of the Quaffle, taken under by Black but-No! Black has slammed Fisher from the side. NO GOAL! Penalty shot taken by Fisher-and goal! The score is tied up at 10-10. Nice shot, Fisher! Here's Bell, he passes to Potter, but Boot intercepts it! Boots to Davies, brought in, and GOAL! 20-10, Eagles. McKinnon is now in possession of the Quaffle. She flies out to center air-OH! But the Quaffle is knocked out of her hand by one of the Ravenclaw Chasers. Taken by Boots now, and WOAH! Potter gets revenge and intercepts a pass meant for Davies. Potter makes a beeline towards the Ravenclaw hoops, dodges a Bludger, and WOW! He throws the Quaffle in right past Smith! The score is now 20-20!"_

The Gryffindor crowd erupted with cheers.

"Rah! Rah! Gryffindor!"

_"Taken by Davies, pass to Fisher, and INTERCEPTED BY BELL! Bell passes to Potter, over to McKinnon, who immediately passes the Quaffle back to Bell, and TOTALLY FAKES OUT THE EAGLES! Shot. GOAL! 30-20, Lions! Ooh, looks like a Bludger is headed towards Potter and Longbottom knocks it away! Here's Boot, over to Fisher. Shot and right past Jones. GOAL! The score is tied at 30-30! The Quaffle is taken by McKinnon, over to Potter. Shot. SAVE by Smith. Here's Davies, bee-lining toward the Lion's hoops. Shot. GOAL! 40-30, Eagles!"_

The Ravenclaw crowd cheered, while the Gryffindor's spirits died down a bit.

" _Here's Bell, EASILY INTERCEPTED BY FISHER. Over to Boot. GOAL! 50-30, Ravenclaw! Here's Potter. He dodges one, no, TWO Bludgers! Shot. GOAL! 50-40, Ravenclaw! Davies has possession, and intercepted by McKinnon! She passes to Bell-oh, intercepted by Fisher! The Gryffindor crowd cannot stop booing! Goal to Ravenclaw! 60-40, in favour of the Eagles! Oh Merlin, Potter has called a time out. This can't be good, given the look on his face."_

Somewhere, the cheers started up again.

"Rah! Rah! Gryffindor! Rah! Rah! Gryffindor!"

" _And we back,"_ Dorcas' voice boomed. " _Taken by Potter, under fisher, barely missing Turpin and GOAL! 60-50, Ravenclaw! Only down by 10 points and the Gryffindor fans are high in spirits! Fisher takes possession, dodges Black and scores! 70-50, still in favour of Ravenclaws! Potter in possession, passes to Marlene. GOAL! 70-60, Eagles! Fisher in possession and passes to Boot, but Bell intercepts. GOAL! The match is tied at 70-70! Can Gryffindor make a come back?"_

"Rah! Rah! Gryffindor!"

" _What's this? I believe Mason McGonagall has caught sight of the Golden Snitch! Chang follows him, hoping to get the Snitch before he does! They're neck and neck. GOAL! James Potter just scored! 80-70, Gryffindor! The crowd goes wild! McGonagall takes a deep dive, leaving Chang clueless. I tell you, if he doesn't pull up soon, he'll hit the ground! Oh! He pulls up with just enough time! Emma, however, has lost track of where the Sni – never mind, she's Mason's tail! Chang pulls up again! The Seekers are neck and neck! Chang reaches out to try and grab the Snitch, while McGonagall dodges a Bludger! OH! IT HITS CHANG! That has got to hurt."_

The Ravenclaws all started shouting objections. Gryffindor, however, kept cheering on.

"Rah! Rah! Gryffindor!"

" _Wasting no time, Mason leans further and HE CATCHES THE SNITCH! I REPEAT, MASON MCGONAGALL CAUGHT THE SNITCH, ENDING THE GAME AND ADDING 150 POINTS TO THE GRYFFINDOR SCORE! The score now stands at 230-70, in favour of Gryffindor! The Lions have won the game! What a way to start off the year!"_

The winning team rushed the pitch as Dorcas finished her last bit up.

" _Well, folks, that's the first match of the year! Thank you all for letting me be your Quidditch commentator. It has been quite a pleasure."_ She paused. "This is _Dorcas Meadowes, signing off."_

After the game, Lily had made a point to congratulate James on the win in the Common Room. 

"You were at the game?" he had asked, incredulously. He knew that she wasn't too keen on Quidditch nor did she know a whole lot about it. 

"Yeah, it was really interesting," she admitted. "It's a lot more fun to see in person than it is to just listen to."

James beamed. "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hopefully, you'll come to more of them!"

"Maybe I will," she replied, smiling back at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still editing. Hopefully going to be writing more soon!


	4. Chapter 4

_Laughter and Potions_

James was rarely ever found in the library. In fact, it may be the one place that he had visited the least. Especially when it was probably the last nice day of November, and the weather was going to turn dreary soon. To him, beautiful days should not be wasted inside studying, but outside, on his broom and letting the wind mess his hair up even more. He hated to only hear the quiet murmurs, or scratching of quills against parchment, or the turning of pages in a book. That was _boring._ He especially was not fond of Madame Pince, the librarian, who always acted like she had something shoved far up her arse. She was not a fan of him, either.

Lily, however was almost always in the library, whether it be for tutoring younger students, or studying by herself. She loved the sunlight streaming in through the tall glass windows and feeling the sun radiate on her back. She absolutely _loved_ the scratching of quills and the turning of pages. The musty smell of old books was her favorite and this library certainly did not disappoint her in any aspect. This time, however, she was in there with Marlene and Alice, doing more whispering than studying.

Marlene had made some wise crack about Quidditch and the four Marauders, especially James, which caused the redhead to quite literally laugh out loud, disrupting the quiet she usually enjoyed.

James' head snapped up at the sound of it. It was a hearty, full, and obviously amused laugh. Not wanting to be caught staring for once, he returned to writing a list, scratching a couple things out as he went. Then, he heard it again. It started soft, this time, and then grew louder and louder. He glanced back over to the table that Lily and her friends were sitting to see her wiping her eyes from the tears of laughter.

However, Lily grew quiet and her cheeks grew flush as she eyed Madame Pince making her way over to the table with a scowl.

After being reminded to be quiet by the librarian, Marlene waited for her to leave before leaning across the table and whispering, "She really does have something stuck up her arse, doesn't she?"

Lily snorted. "Marlene!" she whispered. "You can't just say something like that! It's not polite"

"I heard Potter say it one day," Marlene explained. "I think it's funny how he complains about her when he makes an appearance in here about once a year."

"Oh, speak of the devil," Alice whispered. "When was the last time you saw James Potter working on something in the library?"

"I'm pretty sure it was last year, and he asked to see my term paper for Ancient Runes," Marlene muttered. "Why?"

Lily looked across the library and stopped short at the sight Alice was talking about. Sitting at one of the giant wooden tables by himself, he was seemingly working on something important. His brow was furrowed and he looked frustrated.

"I'll be right back, I have got to know what he's working on," Lily curiously half-whispered, standing up and walking over to where the boy was.

She walked up and half expected him to notice her standing there. At least a minute passed by before she sat down in the chair across from him. "Potter, what are you working on that requires all your focus and in the library?" she asked quietly with genuine interest.

James looked up, startled and jumped the smallest bit. "Oh," he stammered, a bit unsettled, shuffling one of his papers underneath the others, almost as if he was hiding something. "Just that stupid essay on Amortentia that Slughorn assigned."

"And that requires your full attention?" she asked while fighting back a smirk. "I can't remember the last time I saw you in here."

"Yeah, because not everyone has Slughorn wrapped around their finger like you do," James grumbled mostly to himself, his mouth forming into the slightest smirk.

Despite herself, Lily let out a snort. "He is not wrapped around my finger," she stated as she reached to grab the paper James was working on, but he quickly stopped her.

"You don't want to read it. It's quite terrible. I promise, you'd think I was quite dumb."

She just looked at him. "Why not? I don't think an essay could possibly convince me that you're dumb – at least not in Potions."

He shook his head to confirm his decision not to let her see the paper. She let out a small laugh of disbelief and he grinned back at her.

"You have a lovely laugh," James blurted out before he could stop himself. "Not that your laugh has anything to do with this paper. I heard it a bit ago." He bit his lip and tried not to let his face flush so much. "Sorry."

Lily looked at him, stunned. "Thanks, Potter. I'll be leaving you to work now," she said and turned to walk back to her friends, but then stopped "For what it's worth, the paper's not half-bad. The information is all there, I think you just need to work on how you write it out. Make it more matter-of-fact."

James sighed with relief after she left and scribbled something on the piece of parchment that he wouldn't let her see. This girl was going to drive him crazy.

**(Later, Gryffindor Boys Dormitory)**

"Hey Wormtail, can I see your essay on Amortentia?" James practically begged.

Peter nodded his head and just as he was about to hand it over to the other boy, Remus piped up. "Wait, wasn't that why you went to the library earlier?" Remus inquired.

James groaned with frustration. "There were other things of importance that I had to work on. Like..." he trailed off, not quite sure how he could explain it.

His other three mates all turned to look at him, curious.

"Was Lily there?" Remus asked knowingly.

James' face turned red for the second time that day. "Maybe," he scoffed, trying to play it off as nothing.

"Prongs, aren't you going to tell us whatever you were doing in the library?" Sirius asked impatiently, after several moments of silence. "You spent nearly half the day in there."

James pursed his lips before giving his answer. "The time isn't right." He turned to Peter, "Mate, please just let me see your essay," he begged impatiently.

"Fine," the blonde sighed, and handed him the paper.

James laid it next to his own and started scribbling in a fast manner.

Remus stood over his shoulder and chuckled at a thought. "You know, if this has anything to do with a certain redhead named Lily Evans, I might just add that you're probably failing potions because of her. Granted, that much isn't her fault."

"Why would you say that?" Peter asked.

"He spends the entire time staring at her, not taking note of anything," Sirius interjected, before Remus could. "Trust me," the long haired boy smirked, "I sit next to him."

"But he spends _every_ class staring at her," Peter pointed out.

"Remus is right," James piped up, finishing the last sentence of the essay. "I _am_ probably failing potions because of her. But hey, that's dedication."

_Anger_

"The very _least_ you can do when I reprimand you while doing _my_ job is to look at and listen to me!" an angry voice echoed through the corridor and into the Gryffindor Common Room, disturbing a discussion between four boys. "Your mum must've not taught you any manners! Don't forget you have detention, starting tomorrow," the voice reminded curtly.

The portrait door swung open and a fuming Lily Evans walked in, her face blood red from her choleric state, and James turned around to see what the commotion was.

Remus scrambled up from one of the chairs and rushed to meet her halfway. He started talking to her, most likely to calm her down.

"Alright, Evans?" James yelled across the room, though there was no need to.

She turned to face him, still peeved and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Potter," she spat through gritted teeth. "It is not of your worry nor does it concern you, so kindly shove off." At that, she turned back to Remus to try to talk to him more, but James just stared at her.

She noticed him staring at her and as she whipped her head around to look at him, the strand of hair fell back in front of her face.

"Just let me know if you need to talk," James said as he reached out and placed the hair back behind her ear. He gave her a smile, turned around, and went up the stairs into his dormitory.

"What the hell was that about?" Lily asked Remus, still tense and now confused.

"I haven't the slightest," Remus admitted, shaking his head.

Whatever James had in mind, it was already confusing both Remus and Lily.

"So do you want to talk about what happened out there?" Remus inquired. "It didn't sound very good."

Lily shook her head. "Some third-year Slytherin was trying to hex all the Muggleborns coming into our Common Room for who knows what reason. The brat wouldn't even look at me when I reprimanded him," she explained. 

Remus just stood there in shock. "It worries me that you were out there alone," he started.

"I was coming back from the library, what was I supposed to do? Always have a bodyguard? Remus, let's be real. That's never going to happen," Lily interjected, making it very clear she didn't want to talk about it anymore.

_Charming_

Lily was sitting in the Charms classroom, as it was slowly filling up, waiting for Marlene, or Remus, or _anyone_ to sit next to her before Potter got there.

A body slid into the seat next to her. Her body tensed up immediately once she realized who it was.

"Lovely morning, Evans, don't you think?" James asked, grinning at her.

"Potter, why _are_ you sitting next to me?" Lily retorted.

"Well you see, it's quite hard to see over you when you and Marlene are always talking and writing and then you always answer his questions, so I thought it easier if I came and sat next to you," he explained innocently. "Plus, my eyesight is awful, and sometimes things get blurry, even with my glasses."

"Bugger off, Potter."

The girl's absolute unwanting of James only made him lean closer to her. As he did, he noticed the grip of her quill tighten significantly and her cheeks start to tint a rosy pink.

"Potter, could you not be so close to me? You're making it very difficult to take notes."

The boy shrugged but did not make any attempt to move. He didn't understand why Lily was so adamant about paying attention in charms because she was absolutely brilliant at it. She made the hardest charm look so simple. Like swish and flick. 

"Lily," James whispered.

No answer.

"Hey, Evans," he hissed.

Still, there was no answer.

"Lily?" he impatiently whispered.

She showed no acknowledgment, and continued to write whatever Flick was saying verbatim.

"Lily, this is important," he half-whined.

"What?" the girl hissed back, obviously peeved.

"Well, the Hogsmeade trip is coming up and I think you'd have a good time if you went with me."

"No," she hastily replied.

""Will you just humour me for once and –"

"No" she repeated.

"– just ask why," he pleaded.

"Why," the redhead asked unenthusiastically.

James could barely contain his grin. "Because you love charms a great deal, and I am a charming guy."

She looked at him dumbfounded for a moment while James looked pleased with himself.

Finally, she spoke, clicking her tongue first. "Real proud of yourself for that one, aren't ya?"

"Is that a yes?" James asked with another grin.

"How long did it take you to come up with that one?"

"Literally just came up with it as you asked me," he grinned.

Lily just shook her head and rolled her eyes and went back to taking notes.

_Worth (Part 1)_

"Marlene, I'll meet back up with you in a second," Lily promised her friend. "I need to talk to Remus for a few seconds."

"Remus, wait up!" she called after their Potions class let out.

When she reached him, he greeted her with a smile and turned slightly away from his friends, to talk to her.

"Mind if I ask you something?" she asked quietly.

"Hey guys, I'll be there in a bit. Lily and I need to discuss a few things," Remus called over his shoulder. Lily noticed his face seemed much paler than usual and that there were some scratches on his face, but thought nothing of it at the moment. He turned back to her. "Sure, go ahead," he offered.

"Alright, this may sound a bit silly," she began cautiously. "Well, no never mind, scratch that, it _is_ rather silly. You see, normally, I'd ignore my thoughts about Potter as much as possible, but I want to know why he keeps asking me out, despite being rejected multiple times."

Remus chuckled softly. "Funny that you should ask, honestly. I was meeting up with them in the common room. He had said something about you."

She stopped in her tracks and looked up at him. "Why on Earth would he say something about me to you all? I mean I get that you're mates and all…" she trailed off, waiting for him to offer an explanation.

He chuckled once more. "You don't get it, Lily. He's mad for you. To him, you're worth the rejection."

She shook her head and continued on their ten minute trek to their common room.

**(Gryffindor Common Room)**

For some reason, the Gryffindor Common Room was empty on such a dreary and grey November afternoon. Peter, James, and Sirius were all sprawled out on the chairs in front of the fireplace, waiting for Remus to arrive.

"What are we waiting for?" Peter complained impatiently.

"Oi, calm down Wormtail, we're waiting on Moony," Sirius half-yawned to the other and rubbed his eyes. "Prongs, you're cutting into my nap time."

The portrait creaked open and from the portrait hole, the three boys saw Remus and Lily walk in, deep in conversation. James strained his head to catch a better glimpse at the two.

"Prongs don't piss yourself, mate," Peter jokingly told his friend.

"Oh shut up," he hissed.

"I'll see you around," James heard Lily tell his friend.

She accidentally made eye contact with James as she passed him and headed for the stairs up to her dorm.

"Boys," she said, nodding, breaking contact with James and disappeared up the stairs.

As soon as the girl was out of sight and earshot, James looked at Remus expectantly.

"'S just weird, Prongs," Remus stated.

"What's weird? What'd she say?"

"Don't get your knickers in a bunch, all she was wondering is why you keep asking her out, despite her rejecting you."

"Valid question," Peter mused.

He and the other two looked at the bespectacled boy, awaiting an answer.

James laughed a bit and smiled. "It's quite simple, really. It's because she's worth it."

_Bum Touching and Worth (Part 2)_

After their first Quidditch victory of the season, Lily found herself somehow talking to James more and more. After their second Quidditch victory, she found herself talking to him in the midst of the celebration in the common room. The room was loud, as it always was after a match, but the buzz of a post victory high was all around and the stench of sweat only made it better, in James' opinion.

"Congratulations on the win today, Potter. You played very well. I can see why you're the captain."

"Thanks, Evans, that means a lot" he replied a bit too happily and hastily, leaving both standing in awkward silence.

"Right, well I really should go find Marlene, I pro–" Lily began to explain as she started to leave.

"Oh, Evans," James interrupted, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back. He had to help steady her as she stumbled back. "Speaking of McKinnon, she said that my bum was nice to touch."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Alright Potter, I'm leaving now."

"Just know that you can touch it at any time!" he called after her as she weaved her way through the crowd to find her blonde friend.

"That true 'bout McKinnon?" Sirius questioned, obviously intrigued.

"Nope," the other replied. "Jus' pretended she did to try to use the jealousy card."

"Do you think it worked?" Sirius asked, already knowing the answer.

James shook his head and let out a long exhale. "You know mate, I have no bloody idea."

"Just give her time, she'll come around," Sirius offered.

James shrugged his shoulders and Lily, for some reason, had made her way back to him.

"Potter, I've got a question," she stated and his friend took that as a cue to turn around and pretend not to listen in.

"Alright, ask away, Evans," he casually replied.

"In a moment of pure curiosity I just want to know why you think that I would want to go to Hogsmeade with you," she challenged him.

He smirked at her and dramatically sighed. "Evans, did you not hear? It's because I'm worth it."

She failed to properly choke back laughter. "Oi, Potter, you sound like that one shampoo commercial on the telly!"

He looked alarmingly confused as she took a few more breaths and calmed down. "Oi, Potter that's too funny," she said before walking off a second time, shaking her head.


	5. Chapter 5

_Christmastime and Muggle Studies_

It was Thursdays like this when Lily was glad that she had taken her Muggle Studies OWL in fifth year, because she woke up to the first snowfall of the year. She opened the curtains of the dormitory and watched the blinding white snow cover the grounds. She smiled to herself and made her way down to the common room, where she knew that she could get a much better view of the newly white grounds.

James, on the other hand, was always glad to wake up and not be in Muggle Studies because, by some act of a god, he passed that OWL last year. He barely noticed the first snowfall until he descended the stairs from his dormitory to the common room and found Lily curled up by one of the huge windows, watching as the grounds were beginning to cover up with the snow, and smiling to herself.

They were the only two in there, which was a rare occurrence, and James saw this as an opportunity to talk to her. "Is there something amusing about the snow?" he asked.

Lily's shoulders visibly tensed and she snapped out of the trance that comes with the first snowfall, bewildered by the interruption of James' voice. "Not really," she replied, clearing her throat. "I know it's a month away, but seeing the snow makes me excited for Christmas – it's my favourite time of the year." She was babbling again, and she knew it.

"No shit," James responded, the words slipping from his mouth before he could stop them.

"Excuse me?"

"Wh-what I mean is that it makes sense because your hair is red and your eyes are green, like Christmas," he stammered. "They remind me of Christmas, which is funny because..."

She didn't even have to say anything to him, but gave him this look, which cut him off before he could possibly dig himself into an even deeper hole.

He took a deep breath and started to speak again. "It is my favourite time of year, as well," James stated slowly, trying not to stammer and rush his words.

Lily gave some non-committal noise before turning and placing her feet on the cold stone floor. "Well, if I want to be on time for Transfiguration, I'll need to get going and get ready." She was about to reach for the rail to the stairs up to her dormitory when James spoke up again.

"Lily?" He watched her hand retract from the rail.

"Yes, Potter?" Her voice sounded a bit tired, and James thought to himself that he wanted to know why, but he let it alone.

"As you may know, it is the third weekend in November and it is a Quidditch weekend, and I was just wondering if you would like to go to the match with me?" James spat out in one breath.

Lily contemplated the question for a second, before answering. "Who is it against?"

"It's fine," James started to say, dejectedly, and then, realising what she had said, snapped his head up. "Wait, what?!"

"Honestly, James Potter, do you ever listen to me?" she sighed. "I asked who the match was against."

"Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw. It should be a fairly good game," James replied as casually as one could with their heart caught in their throat.

"Hm. Possibly. I'll get back to you on that," she offered as she ascended the stairs.

James couldn't stop beaming and did a little dance before racing off to his room to write down a few thoughts that were racing through his mind.

**(Later, Great Hall)**

"I hate Muggle Studies," Peter grumbled after a mouthful of food, during lunch.

"If you hate it so much, then why exactly did you take it?" Remus countered, a smirk starting to appear on his face.

"Well I wasn't about to take Arithmancy. Now that shit is difficult," Peter explained as if it were a well-know fact.

"I don't know which is worse," Sirius mused, "the reason why you're taking Muggle Studies, or why James took it and the OWL for it last year."

"Did we ever get a straight as to why you did take it?" Remus asked James.

James sighed and looked at the three of his friends, who were looking back at him, expectantly. "Well, it's simple," he began. "I took it because a.) I find Muggles to be very interesting a –"

"You weren't very interested in them until you met Lily," Peter pointed out.

"And two," James continued, ignoring Peter's remark, "honestly, I thought it could get me closer to her."

His friends suppressed their laughter as best as they could, which was not very well at all.

"It's the thought that counts, right?" James feebly attempted, his cheeks starting to flame.

"I think it was a sweet, but misguided, gesture, Prongs," Remus sympathetically offered. "It is, after all, about the little things."

_Snape and Being Uncomfortable_

On Saturday, Lily felt ill, and so on Tuesday, still feeling ill, after her classes were finished, she decided to head over to see Madame Pomfrey.

"Lily, wait, can we talk?" a voice shouted after her, as she was about to enter the home stretch to the Infirmary doors.

Lily stopped dead in her tracks. She knew that voice. Slowly, she turned around. "Severus." she greeted coldly.

"Lily, can we talk?" he pleaded.

"Well, we're both perfectly capable of doing so."

Severus sighed. "Okay, let me just say a couple things, please."

"Fine," she curtly replied.

"I never meant to call you a Mudblood," he began, "It just –"

"Slipped out?" Lily interrupted, feeling a new kind of nauseous. "It's too late, Sev. I've made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I talked to you." She stopped for a moment to look at her former friend, both of them hurt. "You and your precious Death Eater friends... You've chosen your way. I've chosen mine."

"Lily..." Snape began, but even he had nothing left to say to her. He turned around to walk away, when he heard a voice that he absolutely loathed.

"Hey, Evans, where were you on Saturday? Everything okay?"

Of course, it was James Potter, and Severus internally groaned.

Lily sighed. She really didn't feel well enough to put up with all this shit. "I was ill and I still feel ill, so if you'll excuse me," she explained, trying to leave.

"But I heard you yelling. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Lily sighed, already done with the questions. "I just talked to Severus and I'm..." she trailed off. "Why am I even talking to you about this? You're just as bad as he is."

"What?!" James snapped. "I'd never call you a – uh – you-know-what!"

"Messing up your hair because you think it 'looks cool' to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off that stupid Snitch, walking down the corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you, just because you can." Lily ranted. "I'm surprised that your broomstick can even get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me sick. Literally and figuratively."

At that, she spun on her heel and walked to the Infirmary, leaving behind a shocked James Potter, before she could throw up in the middle of that corridor.

**(Later, Unusually Unoccupied Gryffindor Common Room)**

"So I'm just walking around the corridors thinking about why Lily never got back to me about the match, right? And I hear yelling, so naturally I go see what the commotion was, and lo and behold, it was her and Snape arguing," James recounted to Peter, Remus, and Sirius. He was also currently playing with Sirius' hair. "And then I tried to step in and help her out –"

"James, that's probably the worst thing you could have done in that situation," Sirius stated.

James stopped playing with his hair immediately, and got up and started pacing. "But then she compared me to that slimeball!"

"To be fair, you have done your fair share of hexing and playing pranks," Remus admitted. "But you've gotten much better about not doing it."

"But I have never actually meant any harm, except towards those Death Eater arsewipes. She even said that I sicken her... literally and figuratively."

The other three went silent, not knowing what to say. James sighed very loudly, flopping down on one of the couches.

"Well, you know what? She frustrates me. Mentally, emotionally, and sexually."

"Jesus Christ, James" Peter groaned.

"She owes me relief from this, I swear. This has been going on since I hit puberty."

At that, Remus snapped. "Listen, James, I love you dearly, but here's the thing: 1. She owes you nothing. 2. If you were being honest with yourself, in a way, she has given your penis relief, in terms of your wanking habits."

_Romanticism, Engagements, Nervousness, and Sirius_

In the first week of December, Lily received two letters during breakfast. She opened both, read them, and her brow furrowed.

"What's up, Lily?" Marlene asked, curious.

Lily dropped the letters, so that Marlene and Alice could read them. The Marauders were down the table, trying to eavesdrop. The first was an announcement, scrawled in what was assumed to be Petunia's handwriting.

_Together with their Parents_

_Petunia Evans_

_and_

_Vernon Dursley_

_invite you to share in their joy_

_as they exchange marriage vows_

_on Tuesday, the Twentieth of December_

_Nineteen Seventy Seven_

_at Two O'clock in the Afternoon_

_4 Privet Drive Little Whinging, Surrey_

The second, was a letter, from her mother that read:

_Lovely Lily,_

_As you may know, after you had left this year for school, Petunia left home to pursue a typing course in London and she got a clerical job. There, she told us she met Vernon, who apparently is a junior executive, and they both took a fancy to each other. He proposed to her in his mother's sitting room, after making a short trip to get your father's blessing. He seems like a wonderful man for Petunia._

_Your father and I miss you so much._

_Love always, Mom._

"What the hell does that even mean: 'he seems like a wonderful man for Petunia'?" Lily asked out loud.

"It probably means he's boorish and self-centered," Alice bluntly said.

"He probably has narrow views of the world," Marlene chipped in. "And an ugly mustache."

Lily gave a small smile at that. If anything, that tiny quip made her feel worlds better.

**(Later, Common Room)**

James was unusually nervous, and when he got nervous, he paced. "What if she says no?"

"Mate, you've dealt with it before, maybe this is the time she says yes," Sirius offered, trying to calm his friend. "And she probably wants to, but is just too proud to admit it."

Before James could say anything else, Lily walked in through the portrait hole. "Lily! Hi!" James greeted her, a little too enthusiastically, while Sirius winced.

"Hello, Potter. What can I do for you?" she asked calmly.

"Well – er – I was – um – wondering if you'd like to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

"Smooth" Sirius coughed.

"And you don't like it when I watch your bum when you walk so then if you went with me, you'd be walking next to me and you wouldn't have to get mad at me so it's a win-win situation, and it'd make your sister jealous," James rambled, while Sirius face-palmed.

She gave a shy smile and laughed. "Potter, I'm sorry, but I'm staying here that day. I have too much to do before I leave for the holidays. And Petunia is no concern of mine."

"But you're the top girl in our class and I'm the top male in our class and we should be together and our marks are both outstanding," James started to beg.

"James, shut up before you talk yourself into a deeper hole," Sirius said, before Lily could say anything. "Oh, come on, Evans, just do it please. I swear he's a romantic at heart. One time won't kill you," Sirius half-pleaded.

"You can't assure that," she quipped back. Turning to James, she said softly, "I really am sorry. I just can't right now. Maybe another time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize Vernon and Petunia were engaged and married in Lily's 7th year, but this is my story, so I'm tweaking that timeline a little bit.


	6. Chapter 6

_Irresistible Music and Wasting Away_

James spent the day in the Gryffindor Common Room studying. It was a Saturday and most students spent their weekends either in their rooms or in the library, claiming the Common Room was "too distracting". James, however, did not mind studying here in the slightest. He loved hearing the fire crackling and how it was juxtaposed with the bright white, cold snow falling on the grounds as the light from it came through the windows. The squashy armchairs and dark wooden tables provided great contrast to that light coming through.

As he settled into the his textbooks to read about non-verbal spells, he noticed Alice and a few other girls from the sixth year dorm leaving the Common Room, and noted that Lily was not with them. She was probably studying in her room or maybe already left. He could feel himself getting distracted already and had not even begun what he wanted to. James reached to pull out the Map to try and find her, but realised that Sirius and Remus took it to do further work and exploring of the castle.

James shook his head and cleared his mind and opened his Charms book to the chapter on non-verbal spells and started reading. He got about two pages in when he heard music. But where was it coming from?

_Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup,_

_They sliver while they pass; they slip away across the universe._

Either he was going crazy, or he was hearing some non-magic group coming from the girls' dormitory. Or maybe it was a magic music group he had never heard of. Maybe he would never find out. Instead of trying to block it out, he found that the music was actually helping him concentrate.

Later, he noticed Sirius and Remus coming back, but they looked exhausted and James' nose was still deep in these books, his brow furrowed.

"Surely these books did nothing to deserve such a frustrated look from you," a quiet voice teased, startling James. He glanced up to see Lily, who also looked exhausted as well, smirking at him.

"Oh, they did. And don't call me Shirley," James quipped, relaxing his face. He hadn't even realised that his face was so tense. His joke caused Lily to crack a smile, and James considered that a small victory. "So, tell me, Evans, did ya hear that music playing earlier? Or was it just me going crazy?"

"Well, you might be going crazy, but that has nothing to do with the music playing."

"So you heard it, too?"

"Well, seeing how I was playing it, yes I heard it," she teased once again. And then a serious look crossed her face. "Wait, have you never heard of the Beatles?"

"As in the insect? Yeah, I have. I'm not that dull."

"You dolt, not the insect. They're a Muggle music group, actually they're from England. Quite good, if you ask me."

"From what I heard, they sounded good."

The girl studied James for a second, obviously deliberating something in her head. "Would you like to borrow my record? I'm assuming you have a record player."

James grinned. "We do have one, and yeah, that'd be awesome!"

"Wait right here. I'll get the record."

A few minutes later, Lily came back down the stairs from the girls' dormitory and handed him a piece of cardboard with the words "Let It Be" printed on the top with four mustached men on the cover. "If you break this record, I promise that I will feed you to the giant squid," she threatened as she handed the precious record over to James.

"Hate to break it to you, but I think that squids only eat shrimp and the like," James pointed out, a small smile forming.

Lily sighed. "But James, this is the _giant_ squid we're talking about."

"The point is that I will not break it. A Marauder's promise!"

She shook her head and turned to go upstairs. "Goodnight, Potter."

So the day was not an entire waste like it originally was shaping up to be.

By the following weekend, James had listened to that record at least twice a day, finding the lyrics helpful as he wrote. But, this weekend could be classified as wasted, as Lily had not gone to Hogsmeade, but his friends did. He had asked Lily again, for the hell of it. She simply laughed and shook her head.

However, he had decided not to go to Hogsmeade, claiming he still had work to do here. But here he was, sitting alone in the Common Room, staring at his Defense the Dark Arts and Transfiguration textbooks, hoping to learn by osmosis. He figured he would wait until people had left for Hogsmeade to start studying in here, since he hated the better-than-thou vibe that the library gives off.

"James, are you not going to Hogsmeade today?" a voice piped up.

He turned to see Marlene, Alice, and other girls from their year in a group all bundled up. "No, I have some work to catch up on," he sighed, cracking half a smile.

"Best of luck, then!" Alice offered, leading the group of girls out of the common room.

Pushing out all other thoughts, other than his studies, James buckled down and started reading about Human Transfiguration, focusing on the bird-conjuring spell.

After a few hours, James had finally gotten the hang of it. It would have taken a much shorter period of time for him to get it down, but transfiguration is definitely not his strongest subject. He got distracted with his own thoughts, about Sirius. Also, it didn't help that the sound of more music lifted James from his daze, once more.

_Oh, darling, please believe me. I'd never do you no harm._

The music continued on for another half-hour or so before James heard the scratch-like sound of the needle being lifted off of the record. Before he could get back to studying, James caught sight of Lily, who was in a plain t-shirt and pyjama bottoms, and her hair was up in some sort of messy up-do.

"Christ, Evans, you'd think that after last weekend, you wouldn't be blasting music. Some of us are trying to study here," he teased.

"Oh hush," she scowled for a second. "Was that those Beatle lads again?"

"It's The Beatles, James. But do you love them or do you love them?"

"Is there any other choice?"

"Why would there be?"

"Well then, it's a good thing that I love them!"

"They're irresistible!" She laughed and nodded in agreement. "So, you didn't end up going to Hogsmeade?"

James chuckled and shook his head. "Nah, I decided to catch up on work and then I got caught up in my own thoughts."

She nodded her head to indicate she was listening. "I thought you seemed a little bit on the quiet side," she stated. "Wanna talk about it?"

"I'd rather not."

"C'mon, whatever it is, it'll probably feel good to get it off your chest."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You can talk to me, you know? I know we aren't very good friends but –"

"Lily, I said I don't want to talk about it, okay?" James snapped, interrupting whatever the redhead was about to say. "I know you like to help and everything, but _Christ,_ you are so stubborn and cannot take a hint to save your life."

His face was red from frustration and her face became very small, her voice thready. "I'm sorry, James."

"It's just something personal that I don't like to talk about," he said, finally calming down. Lily just nodded, understanding.

"You excited to go home for holiday?"

He softly smiled. "Yeah, yeah I am. You?"

"Well, of course I am! We're going to a ski lodge or something for the holidays, Vernon's family is paying for it, so I can't really complain."

_Thinking of the Future_

It wasn't that Lily wasn't excited to be with her family, she really was. She was just dreading spending the holidays with Petunia and her fiancée, Vernon. She wrinkled her nose at the very thought of the two together. She had never met the man. Every time Petunia would invite him over before she left for school, Lily would just happen to find some excuse to leave, so that she didn't have to be the one to tell Vernon about being a witch, or meet the guy, for that matter. No, she would leave Petunia to do that if she wanted.

Which left her to where she was now. Trying to sleep in this bed at the lodge, but instead, hearing Petunia whine over some stupid thing from her and Vernon's room and the sunlight streaming in. Even when she was away from school, she couldn't have the opportunity to sleep in. Because that would be _too_ much to ask.

Sighing, the redhead curled back underneath her covers and put one of the pillows over her face in a half-hearted attempt to block out the sun and Petunia's shrill and nasally whine. That didn't help either. And that was when she heard a crash and then howling laughter.

"Who the _hell_ is making all this noise at this time of the morning?" the tired redhead muttered to herself. Lily got up, wiped the sleep from her eyes and the drool from her mouth and trekked over to the door to get a peek at the noise.

"Oh bloody hell," she whispered when she saw those responsible for the noise. Because why should this have surprised her? Of course it was them.

"Oh! 'Lo, Evans!" chirped the one and only James Potter. "We didn't wake ya, did we?"

"What are you doing here?" was all that she was able to get out.

"Ya know, usually you answer a question first, then ask one yourself," Sirius teased her.

She just stared blankly at them. "I'm going back to my room, now, and hopefully this is just a nightmare and I'll wake up." At that, she turned around to go back into her room and shut the door.

Meanwhile, the boys went back to their room and Sirius could not stop laughing.

"Did you see the look on her face? She was between a state of shock and being really done with us."

James laughed, but before he could say anything, there was a knock at his door. He got up to answer it and saw his mother and father standing outside. Mrs. Potter had a soft smile on her face.

"James, dear, please tell me you haven't already started terrorizing guests again?" she asked with a small sigh.

"Mum, us?! No, never! We grew out of that, like, last year." James gave a sheepish grin while his mother rolled her eyes.

"So that wasn't you talking to that nice young lady a few minutes ago? Whatsername, Lily?" Mrs. Potter gave him and Sirius a knowing smile.

"Muuuum," James groaned, not wanting to deal with this right now.

However, Mrs. Potter had other plans. She and Mr. Potter came in, shut the door, and sat in one of the chairs. With a Cheshire cat smile, she tilted her head, "So, tell me about this Lily."

"Oh, you don't want to get him started on her," Sirius interjected, not giving James a chance to speak. He cleared his throat, " _Evans and I would have flawless ginger children together, even though I hope they end up with my hair_." Sirius mimicked, doing his best James impression.

"Okay, that is  _not_ what I sound like," James protested as Mrs. Potter laughed.

" _She'd make a brilliant wife! And I'd make a brilliant husband! The house elves practically know all about her at this point._ " Sirius continued, laughing in the middle of it all.

"You have to admit we'd be _the_ dynamic duo! Lily Potter has a nice ring to it, dontcha think?"

Mrs. Potter inhaled sharply at that. "James, dear, are you that serious about her?"

James scratched the back of his head before mussying it even more. "Yeah, mum, I am."

"Then why haven't we met her yet?"

"That's because she doesn't, er, feel the same way," James admitted dejectedly.

"Then how does she feel?" his mom inquired.

"Well, last year, she said the giant squid has a better chance than I do," James chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"And now?" his dad asked, with an amused grin.

"Well, personally, I think the giant squid has nothing on me"

"It sounds like she's warmed up to you a little," Mrs. Potter stated, a warm smile on her face.

"I really think she has," Sirius interjected. "Though, it's obvious that she is the only one who hasn't fallen for his charm and that has seriously thrown him off his game."

"Do you love her?" 

"I think I do."

_Charms and Honesty_

Lily couldn't believe that James and Sirius were here of all places. It was bad enough that she had to spend time with Vernon and Petunia, but now those two were here and this was not how she imagined Christmas break. However, maybe the boys would provide some sort of distraction/saving grace this holiday.

Sighing, she admitted defeat to attempt to get back to sleep and got up out of her bed. She trudged to the bathroom and turned on the shower, letting her mind wander away from everything going on and focused on the water and the heat and started getting ready for the day.

"Lily, sweetie?" a voice called from outside her door.

Lily finished zipping up her pants and made sure she looked presentable in case it wasn't anyone she knew. She threw open the door to find her father standing out there.

"Perfect! You're good to go!" he announced cheerfully, pulling her arm.

"Woah, wait 'good to go' for what?" Lily challenged.

"We're meeting the Dursley's for lunch," he stated as if it were the most obvious reason.

"Didn't Tuney tell you?" Lily put on her best smile.

"No, _Tuney_  didn't tell me anything. But let me grab something from the room," she promised, as she grabbed her wand.

It wasn't that she _needed_ her wand with her, but after the past six years of carrying on her at all times, it became like a safety blanket to her.

After briefly meeting Vernon when she arrived at the lodge, Lily didn't think that the rest of the Dursley's could be much worse. There was no possible way. He looked like an obese rat, and his attitude was just plain awful. Though she and Petunia were no longer as close as they used to be, she couldn't see what Petunia saw in him. And of course, his family was no better. All of them were simply so awful.

The Potters and Sirius walked into the dining area for a nice lunch and tea. That's when James spotted Lily, looking miserable with a bunch of people, some of which he assumed to be her family.

"I'm starved," Sirius complained, rubbing his stomach and completely interrupting James' thoughts.

"You literally ate, like, an hour ago," James countered with a laugh, shaking out his thoughts and prepared to eat.

"Don't look now, but there's Evans," Sirius whispered to James after they found a table, which happened to be a few away from hers.

"She looks absolutely miserable," James' father noted, taking a seat and sharing a knowing glance with the other three at the table.

James and Sirius nodded at each other.

"James will be right back, Mr. and Mrs. Potter!" "

Yeah, I just kinda want to get a feel for what's going on over there," James explained, toying with the hair on the nape of his neck. "But I don't want to just barge in, yaknow?" he reasoned as he got up out of his chair.

Lily found herself zoning out in the middle of Vernon talking about whatever it is he does, playing with her food.

"Oi, Evans!" a voice cheerfully greeted, snapping her out of her daze.

Immediately she snapped up and scanned the room for…. _Oh._ It was him. Thankfully, the loud greeting also interrupted Vernon, stopping him in the middle of whatever annoying thing he was going on about.

"James!" She had never been so glad to see him in her life. She stood up to greet him, nearly _hugging_ him and could feel all eyes on her from her and James' tables.

"I didn't know you were here!" he said, acting like he hadn't caused her to wake up earlier than she intended.

Before she could say anything, he give her a look as if to say, "Just play along".

Never had she been so thankful for James Potter.

"Pardon, I'm being rude," Lily said, playing along with whatever the hell James was doing. "Mum, Dad, everyone else; this is James Potter. He's in my year back at school," the redhead explained, trying not to give away too much in case Petunia hadn't said anything yet.

"Wait… this is _the_ James Potter?" her dad asked, with a look of curiosity on his face. "The same James Potter you used to talk about all the time?"

"Dad, I- I did- didn't talk about him all of the time," Lily sputtered, trying to keep her cool. She could feel her face turning red in front of everyone. She didn't even look at James to know that he was wearing such a shite-eating grin right now.

"Oh honey, yes you did, don't you remember?" her mother encouraged, with a small laugh. "I mean, you were _just_ talking about him during the summer before you left." 

Lily glanced over at Petunia, whose eyes were narrowed into slits. For the first time in years, she agreed with Petunia.

"Pleasure to meet the parents of such a wonderful girl," James said, working his charm in every way he could. "Lily's the brightest girl in our year!"

"Well, there's no doubt there," her father stated proudly. "Always has been a smart girl."

Now Lily couldn't stop blushing. "James, you're quite a nice young man. Very charming," Lily's mother cooed.

"Many seem to think so," James laughed. "But your Lily never has. In fact," he started laughing more, "she once told me that a giant squid would be better than me!"

"Lily!"

"Is he serious?"

"Bloody hell, I was _half-kidding_ ," Lily sighed.

"Anyway," Petunia interrupted icily. "I was thinking of a big, white wedding. Dress and all," she cooed.

Lily snorted. "Are you sure you should wear white?"

"What do you mean?" Petunia got extra snippy.

"Well considering the moaning I heard coming from your room last night, I hardly think white is appropriate," Lily bluntly stated.

Everyone's jaws hit the floor.

"I'm excusing myself. I can't eat anymore." And at that, Lily turned on her heels and walked back to her room.

James stood there in shock for a few more seconds. "Well, it's been nice meeting you," he said, half-apologetically and started making his way back to his table. "I hope to see you all again sometime soon," he offered.

He got back to his table and shook his head. This would be one hell of a break.

**Author's Note:**

> This has already been uploaded to my fanfiction site, but I realize not everyone uses that soooo here's this


End file.
